No two ways about it, but the name Shannon McNally just rolls off the tongue as one of legitimacy: kind of like Reba, Tanya, or Martina. Or perhaps.. kind of like Waylon, that of the rugged outlaw country icon of whom she is covering on her upcoming LP The Waylon Sessions—a collection of songs from Waylon Jennings and his outlaw cohorts. This highly anticipated album will be released on Compass Records on May 28, 2021.
McNally made a dent in 2002 with her Capitol Records debut, Jukebox Sparrows that was critically acclaimed and would make many a best-of list, and later she released the Ran on Pure Lightning EP, a collaboration with late great Neal Casal.
McNally would soon go on to release a wide range of similarly lauded albums, EPs, and collaborations over the next 15 years, performing on stage and in the studio with the likes of Willie Nelson, Dr. John, Bonnie Raitt, Levon Helm, Charlie Sexton, Derek Trucks, Terry Allen, and many more along the way. In 2018, she partnered with Joe Poletto at Blue Rose to develop The Waylon Sessions.
The album features special guests like Jessi Colter, Buddy Miller, Rodney Crowell, and Lukas Nelson. “The world has changed a lot since these songs were first recorded,” says McNally. “I have never heard a woman sing any of them, but these tunes are poignant and relevant to me and to women in general right now. As a songwriter, bringing a song to its full potential so that a larger or different audience can connect is all I’ve ever cared about.”
Glide is proud to premiere “I’ve Always Been Crazy ” from McNally, an undisputed take on an unapologetic anthem that sums up the mindset of many an American these days. McNally professes a twangy charm that teaches new-school outlaws like Sturgill Simpson, that her voice deserves top of the playlist rotations.
McNally describes her affinity for Waylon’s “I’ve Always Been Crazy “
This to me is the most iconic of Waylon’s songs. Everything about this lyric speaks to me. “I’ve always been crazy and the trouble that it’s put me through, I’ve been busted for things that I did and I didn’t do. I can’t say I’m proud of all of the things that I’ve done, but I can say that I’ve never intentionally hurt anyone. I’ve always been different with one foot over the line winding up someplace one step ahead or behind.” This song to me is all about having a healthy sense of risk. At least I hope it’s healthy. This groove feels dangerous to me and it raises a red flag to any unsuspecting lovers that you’re steppin into the hot seat if you’re stepping in here. ‘I’ve always been crazy but it’s kept me from going insane’ in this scenario crazy is better than insane, insane meaning willfully being a slave to convention and lazy thinking. The whole groove is in the kick and snare pattern driving a hole through the day into the night.
